The silly bird from the petrel squad received its name for its credulity, since it is completely not afraid of humans. Thistles are sea birds that are often confused with gulls. They look very cute, but they are far from as defenseless as they seem.
In the open sea they often fly with fishing ships, for which they are called ship-followers - "following the ship."
Appearance
Bird fulmar has a dense body measuring 45-48 centimeters. Wingspan - more than a meter. The body weight of the fulmar is 650-850 grams. The beak is bent at the end in the form of a hook. It is thinner and shorter than that of gulls. The beak can change its color. In spring and summer it turns yellow with a light green tint, and in the autumn-winter period it acquires a dark green hue, which is clearly seen in the photo of the silly girl below.
The plumage of the bird is hard and thick, only in the abdomen it is softer. Shedding happens once a year.
The tail of a fool at the end is slightly rounded. This species of birds has large wings that are pointed in shape. This can be seen in the photo of a bird of a fulmar in flight.
The paws of this species of birds are quite strong, despite the small weight of the bird itself, and end with sharp claws.
The color of fulmar is of two types: dark and light. In the first version, the head, neck and abdomen of the bird are white, and the back and tail are ashen. In the second case, fulmar is painted in a gray-brown shade. But there are also various transitional coloring options. Already by the appearance of the chicks, you can determine the future tone of the adult.
The nostrils of birds are keratinized tubes. Through them, fulmars remove excess salt from the body.
During a flight that is particularly smooth, birds rarely flap their wings. From the side it looks like an airplane soaring up.
The adult makes a low trumpet clack, sometimes looking like a croaking scream.
Habitat
Today there are two types of silly. These are Fulmarus glacialis, which inhabit the northern hemisphere, and Antarctic Fulmarus glacialoides. Among themselves, the representatives of these species are very similar, they are distinguished only by the habitat.
Ordinary fulmar is common in the northern seas from the border of the polar ice to Britain. Previously, they were residents exclusively of the Far North, but recently they have spread far south, as their numbers have increased significantly.
Atlantic representatives live in the territory from pack ice in the south to tropical latitudes in the area of cold currents.
Stupids are nomadic birds. During the migration period, they move closer to the equator.
On land, birds live only during the nesting period, spending the bulk of their life at sea.
Nutrition
The basis of the diet of fulmar is sea food: plankton, squid, shrimp, fish, jellyfish. If necessary, carrion and fish waste are used as food. During the breeding season, plants can consume.
Goofies hunt on the surface of a pond, immersing their head in water to eye level. But they can dive to a depth of half a meter. Food is caught with its beak and absorbed whole.
It has been experimentally proved that fulmar are able to feel food at a distance of up to three kilometers.
These birds do not fly far from the coast, but try to feed themselves on fishing vessels.
Stupid women are very voracious, they are able to swallow food weighing even a pound. After a couple of hours, they are again hungry and ready to go in search of food.
Habits
Fulmar birds nest in packs that can number thousands of individuals, or in pairs on the rocky terrain of the islands. The male begins courtship while still in the water. He pulls his body up, flaps its wings and makes specific cries.
Then the male waits for a while until the chosen one makes a decision. After a pause, she gently cackles and, in agreement, hits him with her beak. An existing couple stays together for the rest of their lives.
In calm weather, birds rest on the surface of the water. It is worth a little breeze to rise, silly women, like all representatives of petrels, soar into the air and can fly over quite considerable distances. They are active at any time of the day.
Stupid maneuver perfectly during the flight, even in a strong storm they are able to follow the crest of waves. On land, on the contrary, they move on their paws very awkwardly.
Being in the aquatic environment, these birds are quite silent. You can hear their cry mainly during the mating season.
Enemy Defense
Despite the fact that the fools look very defenseless, they are not. When the enemy attacks, they are able to defend themselves by shooting at him from the beak with an oily liquid that has an unpleasant odor. Even the chicks possess the skills of a sniper.
This substance is found in the bird’s stomach. It contains fatty acids and triglycerides. At low air temperatures, such a liquid turns into wax. It can have a color from transparent to reddish brown.
This method of protecting fulmars not only has the effect of surprise and the ability to scare off through an unpleasant odor, but it is also quite dangerous for the enemy. Getting on bird feathers and solidifying, the oily liquid sticks them together, so the bird can neither fly nor swim, which sometimes ends in death from hypothermia. The fools themselves do not suffer from this: they know how to clean their feathers from this substance.
The main purpose of the oily liquid is to serve as a kind of “fuel” and to provide sufficient energy for birds during long flights. It is also used as food for chicks.
Hence the name Fulmarus came from, which in Old Norse means full - "dirty", mar - "gull".
Breeding
In April, fulmar fly to the breeding site and prepare to breed. Nests of fulmar are located in any part of the rock: from the foot to the top.
Unlike other petrel representatives, these birds do not hide them. In fact, this is a small depression filled with grass. In May or early June, the female lays only one egg per season. It has a large shape and white color with small dark spots.
In hatching offspring, individuals of both sexes take part. Each of them spends in the nest for about a week, replacing each other. One who is free is engaged in his food in order to spend the next few days without food. In total, this process lasts two months.
Progeny
A baby bird is fed once a day, which is quite enough for him. For 12-15 days, one of the parents is with him, warming his body with his heat. Then the nestling chick remains alone, while the adults fly in search of food for food.
Fifty days later, the baby starts swimming lessons and learns to fly. As a rule, this takes about twenty days. Then, in September-October, the colony disintegrates, and the birds fly in different directions, holding in small groups. They do not get used to the selected nesting places and often change them.
Individual fulmars reach puberty at the age of at least 6-8 years. The life expectancy of these representatives of birds is more than forty years.
Population
Despite the fact that fools are game birds, extinction is not threatened by these birds. They are hunted on a small scale, since meat is not considered tasty enough. The exception is the Umanaka district, where collection of eggs of fulmar is widespread. Here, from mid-June to mid-August, hunting for them is prohibited.
The population of fulmars is quite numerous. In the Atlantic, there are about three million representatives of this species, and about four million individuals in the Pacific.